Morning Report for Monday 12 March 2012

8:58 AM.An update on the floods in New South Wales and Victoria, and AFL player Liam Jurrah is being charged over a tribal machete attack near Alice Springs. Audio

8:52 AM.A study has found that close to half of New Zealand children aren't playing every day. The 'state of play' report, commissioned by the drinks company Milo, is the first study of its type in New… Read more Audio

8:49 AM.Te Kohanga Reo National Trust expects supporters from across the country to be in Wellington today, to hear an urgent claim before the Waitangi Tribunal; The Chair of Te Rarawa iwi in the Far North… Read more Audio

8:45 AM.In Queenstown, the defence begins its case today for the Pacific Blue pilot who is facing a charge of careless use of a Boeing 737 - which the prosecution claims put scores of lives at risk. Audio

8:41 AM.A maritime law expert says it's unlikely New Zealand will be able to claim more than $12 million from the owners of the Rena. The ship hit the Astrolabe reef near Tauranga in October. Audio

8:37 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

8:30 AM.A brief update of movements in the financial sector. Audio

8:26 AM.The Labour Party leader, David Shearer, has put forward a bill that would make it more difficult for foreign investors to buy New Zealand farmland. Prompted by the public response to the proposed… Read more Audio

8:21 AM.The Government is forging ahead with more state sector restructuring even as it faces a backlash from public servants. Audio

8:17 AM.Cecil Walker has been a crane driver with the Ports of Auckland for about 14 years. While Mr Walker says he's managed to put some money aside to keep paying his mortgage, with four children and a wife… Read more Audio

8:14 AM.An 11th hour offer by the Mayor of Auckland, to help mediate in the bitter Ports of Auckland dispute has been rejected by Ports company. It says its decision to sack nearly 300 workers is irrevocable.

8:09 AM.The Ports of Auckland says what it calls a sinister element within the Maritime Union has begun a campaign of intimidation, as the industrial dispute escalates. The port company says redundant workers… Read more Audio

7:55 AM.The New Zealand International Arts Festival is into its third and final week, with its musical lineup feeling like a mini-Womad. Audio

7:52 AM.The Principal Family Court Judge has criticised people who use the country's second busiest court as, in his words, a playground for their relationship warfare. Audio

7:49 AM.International media reports are suggesting New Zealand and Australia will lose out to South Africa in their bid to build the Square Kilometre Array - a huge radio telescope facility designed to peer… Read more Audio

7:48 AM.More than twenty thousand people stood patiently in line for the chance to get one last glimpse of Christchurch Cathedral before it's partially demolished. Audio

7:46 AM.An update from the team at RNZ Sport. Audio

7:40 AM.Ideas for what should replace Christchurch Cathedral have become the subject of furious discussion. Audio

7:27 AM.There've been prayers and protests in Japan as the country paused to remember the first anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 19 thousand people. Audio

7:26 AM.A four year old girl remains in a serious condition in Christchurch Hospital, after being struck by a train. Police say the pre-schooler is incredibly luck to have survived the accident, which… Read more Audio

7:21 AM.An American soldier has gone on an early morning killing spree in southern Afghanistan, shooting dead at least sixteen people including nine children as they slept in their homes. Audio

7:17 AM.New Zealand cricketers have been implicated in fresh allegations of match fixing by Indian bookmakers. Britain's Sunday Times newspaper says the International Cricket Council is to investigate claims… Read more Audio

7:09 AM.An 11th hour offer by the Mayor of Auckland, to help mediate in the bitter Ports of Auckland dispute has been rejected. The council-owned company says its decision to sack nearly 300 workers is… Read more Audio

6:47 AM.News from the business sector including a market report. Audio

6:41 AM.Motoring associations are demanding new road user charges are dropped before motorists are hit in the pocket. Owners of large motor homes and buses are facing a more than doubling of what they now pay… Read more Audio

6:39 AM.The Ports of Auckland says its dispute with the Maritime Union over a collective contract has gone past the point of no return and offers of mediation are futile. Audio

6:27 AM.The Chair of Te Rarawa iwi in the Far North says members have given the Runanga a mandate to accept a Crown package, despite only about a quarter of tribal members voting for the deal; Te Kohanga Reo… Read more Audio

6:22 AM.News from the rural and farming sector. Audio

6:18 AM.The latest from the Pacific region. Audio

6:00 AM.Ports of Auckland says intimidation is rife in maritime dispute; Mayor steps up efforts to resolve Auckland port dispute; Ports of Auckland worker says his striking is not about money; New Zealand… Read more Audio